What The Heart Wants: To Be Whole Again
by SerLoh
Summary: Roxas moves to Destiny Island after his mom lands a teaching job in the Community College. On his first day he meets new friends and is introduced to a new hobby. Meanwhile, Kairi hasn't quite felt her self, missing a certain boy who promised to return to her.


~R~

How would anyone feel to be moving to a new location, leaving their friends as well as any familiar settings behind them heading to an unfamiliar place? Whatever the feeling was Roxas was feeling that as he sat in his seat, 2b, looking out his window at the endless blue ocean, waving and tumbling upon itself. Music blasting in his earphones, while his mother sat beside him sleeping. Her excitement wearing her out Roxas tried to keep his mind blank with the volume of his music but nothing could help the butterflies that fluttered into his stomach.

He looked at his mother; the blonde's head was tilted to the side with her eyes closed sleeping peacefully while Roxas sat nervously. She was excited when they were in the airport. She told him she was excited to land a job in the college on Destiny Island because D.I.C.C was one of the first colleges to branch out around the world. It also came in second for graduation rates and first in test scores. It was impressive but that still didn't help him from getting nervous. He just had to go with the flow and be happy for his mom for landing the job. His mind wandered back to his hometown. The place he was born and raised up until now.

Twilight Town…

His mind flashed with the sights of the streets and the sounds of the train on its tracks. The smiles of the lady that ran the collection shop, the seemingly endless calls of the people trying to encourage others to eat at the restaurants. The cheerful cries of kids playing tag or hide and seek with their friends. The one thing he was going to miss though was his hide out. An abandoned storage room that only Roxas and his friends knew about. A place where Roxas and his friends would go hang out when they don't want to be found by their parents. They would stay there all day, and even spent the night from time to time.

Another thing Roxas was going to miss was the forest that was just outside Twilight Town. It was his favorite place only for one reason. He had his first kiss there with a girl he grew up with. After the kiss, they dated for a bit and there was many more make out sessions in the forest but of course when he found out he was moving she decided to break it off. He was ok with it but the first kiss with her always came back into his mind. Just like the old saying goes, "you never forget the first" oh well, it was a fun while it lasted.

The one regret he will always have is never exploring the old mansion that sat on the other side of the forest. Even though the gates were still locked he could've found a way through somehow. He thought about what could be inside the mansion, maybe something cool, or worth a lot of money. He pictured the mansion being huge on the inside and finding some pictures of the previous owners, or maybe some sort of medallion that belonged to beautiful women. He smiled and shook his head. He knew the people who lived in that mansion wouldn't leave anything that valuable, but thinking about it made him regret not checking it out any way. Again, oh well…

Roxas closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window. He might as well get some sleep since that was the only way he could think of doing to get rid of the butterflies in his stomach but no matter how long he closed his eyes, or how many times he tried he couldn't seem to get sleepy, or even yawn for that matter. He opens his eyes and let out a low sigh before looking back at the ocean, which was replaced by green grass, then a neighborhood of houses. It looked like the plane arrived at their new home.

Destiny Island…

The airport was buzzing with activity, people coming and going dropping off their loved ones or picking them up. The people that got off the plan crowded around the luggage pick up, a large black conveyer belt that circled around in a large O shape making it easier for the people to pick up their luggage. Roxas and his mom stood side by side waiting for their luggage. Roxas looked around the airport and felt out of place. The people here looked like they were familiar with this place known as Destiny Island. It felt weird to be in a place he didn't know existed and he still had that "new home" feeling in his stomach. He snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of luggage being dropped down the chute and onto the conveyor belt. The Conveyer circled at a fast-enough speed that prevented the bags from stacking on top of each other making it easy for the owner to find their own luggage.

Just as the luggage began to drop Roxas heard an excited yell. It caught the attention of his mother, and when they turned around to see who it was, her smile brightened "Leanne!" his mother exclaimed as she opened her arms to the women and embraced her. Roxas looked at the women with a confused look on his face. He remembered hearing that name before but never got around to asking who she was.

"it's been too long!" the women known as Leanne said as she steps back taking in a glance of his mom, "wow you haven't changed a bit!" she said sounding surprised, "if I didn't know any better I would have thought you were still in high school." His mother laughed.

"Aw you always know just what to say." She joked. The two laughed simultaneously before they hugged each other once again. Roxas just stood by and watched the scene. When the two stepped back again Leanne saw Roxas and smiled at him.

"And this must be Roxas." She said as walked past his mom and stood in front of Roxas, "wow you've gotten so big the last time I saw you." She said as she placed her hand on top of his head and smiled, "I remember when you were just this big." She said as she rocked her hands back and forth, gesturing a cradle. If that was the case, then he didn't have to feel bad that he didn't remember her.

The women giggled and smiled brightly, "you probably don't know me. So, I'll introduce myself." She said before she cleared her throat, "I'm Leanne, one of your mom's first friends, and her best one at that." The women acted younger than she really was, but you wouldn't know it by the way she looked. Roxas couldn't tell if she was older than his mom or younger.

"Nice to meet you." He said as he shook her hand and added, "…again" she smiled and looked at his mom.

"Wow such manners." She said before adding, "Does he get that from his father?" there was a hint of sarcasm in her voice and his mom just nodded with a smile on her face.

"So, you and my mom were friends back in high school huh." Roxas asked.

"We were the best." She said before she stood next to his mom and smirked, "not only that, we were the hottest in the bunch. Everyone wanted us." Both the girls laughed while Roxas stared at them.

"That's…" Roxas started before he finished, "a little disturbing to hear." The two-finished laughing when suddenly Leanne looked at his mom.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she said excitingly, "I've been dying to show you what my husband got me!" she said

"You mean he actually buys you things." His mom teased. Leanne hits his mom's arm gently and giggles.

"Oh, shut up and come on." She says as she starts walking away, his mom right behind her.

"Oh, Roxas can you please get our bags?" She asked, "Hayner will help you once he catches up."

"Hayner?"

"He's in the bathroom but he'll meet up with you here." Leanne said before she waved, "See you at the car." With that said the two friends continued walking, going through the exit. Roxas turned his attention back to the Luggage and waited for theirs to show up.

Five minutes passed by and Roxas was still waiting for the Luggage. Finally, he saw one of his mom's, a small blue back with pink lining on the edges of the back; it was followed by Roxas' bag, a grey bag with black pockets. He quickly grabbed them and placed them on the ground and grabbed the remaining two. He dreaded the thought of trying to carry the four bags. Just when he was getting ready to attempt it someone walked up beside him.

"Hey, you Roxas?" the male asked. Roxas stood up and looked at the male. His blond hair was spiked up, exposing his brown eyes. He wore a black sleeveless shirt with a green vest over it, the green vest matching the army camouflage pants.

"Yeah that's me." Roxas said.

"All right cool." He said before bent down and picked up two of Roxas' bags and smiled a little nervously, "sorry about the wait man, I ran into a little bit of trouble."

"Your mom said you were in the restroom." Roxas started as he picked up the other two bags, "what kind of problems could you…" Roxas stopped himself, "On Hindsight I'd rather not know."

Hayner laughed and started heading for the door after he placed the shoulder straps on him. They walked side to side carrying the two bags. Hayner was a little bit taller than him, but Roxas blamed the hair for the height difference. Roxas didn't know where the car was parked but it looked like Hayner did so he followed his lead, "is this your first time in DI?"

"DI?"

"Destiny Island man." Hayner said with a chuckle.

"Of course," Roxas said before he laughed sheepishly, "This is actually the first time I've even heard of this place really." He answered. When they got outside the airport Roxas took a good look around. Even though this was a different place to him, it all seemed the same. There were cars coming and going. Other than the unfamiliar sights, and smells, this place seemed like his old home.

"Don't look so disappointed Roxas." Hayner said with a chuckle, "there is actually a lot to do on this island. You just have to know where to look.

"That's a relief." Roxas said before he smiled, "The first thing I thought was going to happen was me dying of boredom." He joked and Hayner chuckled.

"Like I said all you have to do is know where to look." Hayne said with slight smirk. They continued walking reaching a parking garage while Roxas told him the things he would do for fun when he lived in Twilight town. He also told him about the good times he would have with his two-week girlfriend in the forest, it was nothing sexual of course. Roxas didn't know why he was talking about the past to a person he just met. Maybe it was just to avoid awkward silence to the car.

Hayner pushed the button to the elevator and asked "hey what are you doing later?" Roxas looked at him for a moment before he added, "I'm not trying to ask you on a date man."

"I wasn't hoping." Roxas responded back. Hayner shook his head and waited for Roxas to answer. Roxas thought for a minute before he answered, "I'm probably going to be busy unpacking my stuff." He then added, "and then I have to help my mom get the furniture from the storage department." He shrugged his shoulders, "I think I'm going to be busy for the rest of the day." Hayner shook his head and almost looked disappointed.

"I see." Hayner said before he shrugged his shoulders, "oh well, if you finish unpacking early we should hang." He said before adding, "There are some people I want you to meet."

"Friends of yours I'm guessing?" Roxas asked, even though he knew the answer. Hayner nodded his head.

"Yes, I'm sure you'll get along with everyone there." He said before he added, "And these people always have something to do, so you won't have to die of boredom."

"What are you guys going to be doing?" Roxas asked.

"We're going to play soccer." Hayner answered.

"Soccer?" Roxas asked.

"It's pretty fun." Hayner encouraged before he added, "Though, our style of soccer is a little…" he paused for a moment before he chuckled, "well, 'intense'." Roxas chuckled. He never played soccer before but he knew soccer wasn't that 'intense'. The elevator doors opened with a _ding_ and in walked Hayner and Roxas.

"too bad I can't join you guys." Roxas said. Hayner just laughed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Yeah, I can see you're really heartbroken Roxas." Hayner joked as the doors closed. It didn't take long for Hayner and Roxas to catch up with their moms. The boys packed the bags in the back of the car while Roxas' and Hayner's mom continued to talk. Roxas and Hayner began their own conversations sharing their own laughs while putting away the luggage in the car his mom rented.

The sun was already setting when their moms decided it was time to go. Leanne left first while Roxas and his mom sat in the car for a moment, his mom talking on the phone with some big shot from the college. The conversation was short and when she placed the phone down she smiled at Roxas.

"I see you made a new friend." She said, the smile on her face showing how glad she was for him, "I knew you would get along with Hayner, I heard he acts just like Leanne." She added. Roxas chuckled, he should have known his meeting with Hayner was all some sort of elaborate scheme between the two mothers. He just wondered who else she was friends with here in DI.

"He's quite the character." Roxas responded. His mom smiled as she pulled the car out of the parking spot and headed for the exit.

"So, did he invite you to hang out?" Roxas looked at his mom for a bit before he returned his gaze back to the road. He was trying to get used to the sights and sounds of the island since he was going to live here for now on.

"Yeah he invited me to a game of soccer with some of his friends." Roxas responded. They drove out into a freeway, giving Roxas a clear view of the ocean which glowed an orange color reflecting the setting sun and the sandy beach that waves crashed on. He could see people packing up their towels and picking up their trash. He saw others still surfing, some doing well, and some falling off their boards.

"Are you going to join them?" she asked as she looked at her son, who was still looking out at the beach nearby. Roxas didn't answer for a moment; instead he looked ahead when he noticed the change of speed. She took an exit and slowed her speed down, and stopped at a light at the bottom.

"I was." Roxas resounded as he took in the sights again. This time it seemed they were in town. Cars drove in the appropriate lanes heading to their own destination. There were restaurants and fast food places to his left and right. He could even see grocery stores off in the distance with gas stations nearby.

"What's stopping you?" she asked looking at Roxas as she waited for the light to turn green.

"I have to unpack my stuff, then I have to help you bring in the furniture." He said before adding, "besides I don't want to leave you alone in our new home."

"Aw Roxas!" his mom said as she scuffled his hair, "you're such a sweet kid! But you don't have to worry about me." She said adding afterwards, "the furniture is already at the house and Leanne will be there with me." Roxas looked at his mother with a confused look on his face his mother smiled and knew he was going to ask her how the furniture was at the house already, "I paid an extra hundred dollars for some movers to go to the house and set up the living room, along with our rooms." She pressed on the gas the moment the light turned green. She turned into town and smiled at Roxas, "just wait until you see it Roxas." She said sounding excited the closer they got to their new home.

After going through town and taking an exit, they reached a road that led uphill. They passed through a small neighborhood and there stood a two-story house on top of a hill, "There it is." She said with the biggest smile on her face, the biggest Roxas has ever seen.

They parked in the driveway and got out of the car. Roxas took two of the bags while his mom got the others. She opened the door with the keys Leanne gave her and they walked inside, "here we are Roxas." His mom said with excitement in her voice. She turned on the light and smiled, "our new home." Roxas walked inside and sat the bags down and looked around. the rug that laid across the floor was a dark reddish color which matched the walls, and the three-piece couch seat that sat together forming a curved L Shape, sitting across the couches was the fifty-seven-inch flat screen sitting on top of a glass entertainment set with the dish modem and blu ray sitting next to it. Roxas was surprised by how well the place looked and already starting liking the room. His mom somehow sensed this and suddenly said, "if you think this is cool you should check out your room." She said as she closed the door. Roxas looked at her for a moment before he made his way towards the stairs, "it's the second door on the right." She called out before she smiled and explored the first Floor.

Roxas walked upstairs to find his room. It didn't take him long to find it and when he did he liked what he saw. His room was plain, with white walls, beige carpet. His bed was already assembled and made up with blue sheets and a dark blue blanket on his bed with a short bedside table and an alarm and a lamp sitting on top of it, a dresser, and of course a closet. His old guitar was leaning against the wall next to his dresser which he didn't mind since he didn't know where to put it, and he didn't play it much anymore. Roxas also had a skateboard which was leaning against the same wall his guitar was leaning on. In the middle of the floor sat two boxes full of Roxas' old things. He picked up the boxes and placed it on his bed and emptied the box and laid them down on his bed. In the boxes, he found pictures of him and his friends hanging out in the old hideout, he found another picture of him and his ex-girlfriend sitting next to each other with smiles on their faces, his old skateboarding trophy, and some keepsakes some of his friends made for him two weeks before he moved. After looking at the contents of the boxes he decided to redecorate his room a bit.

He placed both the pictures on his dresser, and puts the trophy between them, he hung the skateboard on the wall by taking off the wheels and placed two hooks against the board holding it still, he placed the keepsakes in the nightstand cabinet, and to finish his 'redecorating' he placed the two boxes in his closet. He looked at his room from the doorway and was satisfied with what he saw and turned off the light, closing the door behind him.

Roxas walked down the stairs and heard his mom laughing while another voice continued to talk, when he reached the kitchen he saw Leanne, "oh hey Roxas." She greeted with a warm smile, "I thought you were going to meet up with Hayner at Beach Park."

"Actually, I was just heading there right now." Roxas said before looking at his mom and adding, "Since everything was unpacked before we got here." His mom just smiled along with Leanne.

"You know the way right Roxas?" Leanne asked, Roxas shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

"Not really, but if I get lost it'll be a good way to check out the neighborhood." He told them before he turned around and walked towards the door, "I'll see you later mom." He called out.

"Bye Hun." She called back just as Roxas walked out.

The weather was warm with a slight hint of wind blowing against Roxas carrying the smell of salt, most likely coming from the beach. Roxas walked along the dirt path the sound of dirt crunching under each step became the dominate sound around him, while his mind wondered around. The dirt path soon turned into concrete. He found himself in a nice little neighborhood. The mixture of sounds being carried in the wind reminded him of Twilight Town. He looked around the scene seeing people walk in their homes and seeing kids playing outside with their toys or friends. He then found himself at a four-way street causing him to stop and look at all three ways. He blinked and chuckled shaking his head, "well, crap." He didn't really know how to get to the park, and he didn't know anyone around this neighborhood to even ask directions. He decided just to pick a random direction and hoped he picked the right direction.

"You look lost." Someone suddenly said from behind him. When he turned around he saw a redhead girl walking towards him, her hands behind her back, her blue eyes looking straight at him. Roxas blinked and swallowed a bit, he wasn't usually this nervous around girls, maybe it was because he was just in a new place.

"Just a little bit lost." Roxas responded back while rubbing the back of his head, "I'm looking for a park near a beach." The young girl looked at him for a moment before she smiled slightly.

"You're new, here, aren't you?" She stated rather than asking. Roxas could only nod and chuckle softly, "the park is that way." She pointed towards the opposite direction where he was planning on going, "just follow the path and you're bound to reach it, no problem." She said with a slight smile Roxas looked at that direction before looking back at the red head and smiled back at her.

"Thanks, um..." He paused for a moment waiting for her to tell him her name, one of his supposed 'tricks' according to his friends back at Twilight Town.

"Kairi." She introduced before smiling and adding, "and you're welcome, um..." She paused the same way he did.

"Roxas." He said and smiled at her. She giggled and looks nods her head towards the park.

"You better go before you're late." She said. Roxas looked at that direction and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll see you around." he said. All she did was nod her head and give him a little wave before she turned around and walked off towards a house with three other girls sitting on the porch looking at them with curious eyes. He watched the redhead, Kairi, walk away before he turned towards the direction she gave.

He followed the path and sure enough the park was straight ahead. There sat two large toys with the mixture of slides, monkey bars, and sliding poles. The other was smaller version with two slides and a tunnel connecting both the slides, there were two sets of swings near both toys and a jungle gym. Further down from the playground was a large green field where a small group of guys can be seen playing soccer. Four of them were playing soccer while the fifth one sat on the sidelines. Roxas made his way to the sidelines watching the group of guys playing their game.

He saw Hayner moving his way towards the goal only to be cut off by another boy with long silver hair that was currently in a ponytail. He tried to steal the ball from Hayner but he pulled the ball back and spun around the silver haired male and continued his advance towards the goal. The silver haired male continued his chase for Hayner and managed to catch up. He tried to steal the ball again via slide tackle but Hayner pulled the ball back and kicked the ball upwards with his back leg before passing it towards another blond. The other blond had his hair sit flat against his head and hung a little way past his ears. This blond caught the ball with his chest and kicked the ball before it hit the ground aiming for the goal that sat behind him. The goalkeeper, a chubby brunette, who had his hairstyle the same way as Hayner, wearing a bandana and a jersey stood ready. He saw the quick kick and jumped to the side stretching as far as he could and caught the ball in his hands before rolling on the ground. He gets to his feet and holds up the ball as if he was saying, "nice try." Hayner shook his head

The silver haired ran up to pence and pats his shoulders, "awesome save Pence." He said which only made him chuckle and shrug his shoulders.

"I saw it coming." He joked as he looked at the blond, "his kicks are too predictable to get scored on." he said tauntingly

"That sounds like a challenge." the blonde said as he got up to his feet.

"You think you're up for it Tidus?" Pence asked before he chuckled and tossed the ball at Tidus, who caught it and chuckled. He pointed his finger at Pence declaring he accepted the challenge.

"You're getting a little too brave Pence." Tidus joked and the two boys laughed afterwards. Stood by the sidelines watching how these group of friends interacted with each other. It wasn't until they all noticed him and turned towards his direction that he gave them a slight wave not knowing what else to do.

"You made it!" Hayner called out towards him and Roxas silently shrugged his shoulders.

"We got finished early." Roxas called back.

"What are you doing standing on the sidelines man?" Hayner called out before gesturing for Roxas to join them while saying, "come on, I'll introduce you to the guys." Roxas made his way towards the group and notice the fifth guy that was sitting on the sidelines was now joining them on the field. The fifth member has orange hair and an enormous coif. He wore a yellow tank top and baggy yellow pants that close halfway down his lower legs with large, grey, "X"-shaped straps on both his legs.

Roxas reached Hayner the same time as the other and Hayner smiles and pats Roxas' shoulders, "this is Roxas." He says before looking back at Roxas, "and these are my friends…" he pointed at each person as he gave them their own introduction. Some introduction where flattering such as introducing Wakka as 'The Soccer God' while others were not; such as introducing Riku as 'A Life-Sized Hairball' Probably making fun of his long hair.

"What's up guys?" Roxas asked giving them a nod of his head. The others did the same thing and remained silent for a moment.

"Just playing some soccer." Tidus said as took the ball from Pence and spun it in his palms, "up for a game?" Roxas stayed quiet for a moment, he has never played soccer before and didn't know the rules except he couldn't use his hands.

"I'm up for something new." Roxas said, trying to hide his nervousness. Tidus just smiled and tossed the ball at Roxas, who caught it.

"Perfect!" Tidus says before facing Wakka, "You ready for some Three on Three Wakka?"

"Only if you are ready to lose Ya'know." Wakka retorted with a smirk. The two walked back to the center of the field. Riku and Pence joined them taking their respective sides of field. Roxas looked at them for a moment before he heard a chuckle coming from Hayner.

"What's so funny?" Roxas asked.

"I just hope you didn't think I was lying when I said it was going to be intense." Hayner answered with a smile before he says, "Come on, let's join the others.

Roxas took his position on the field. He noticed they only used half of the field since they only six of them. The teams were Riku, Tidus, and Pence as Goalie while Roxas had Wakka and Hayner as goalie. Both Riku and Tidus stood in the middle of the field while Riku was setting up his watch. Riku was designated 'time keeper'. This gave time for Wakka to approach Roxas, "You played Soccer before ya?" He asks.

"Does watching a game on TV count?" Roxas asked and was answered with a laugh from Wakka.

"not exactly the answer he was looking for." Hayner says joining the huddle, "Let me give you a quick run down." He says, "Tidus is fast, I mean very fast! Even Wakka has a hard time keeping up sometimes."

"Sounds great." Roxas says feeling is confidents weaver a bit."

"His only weakness is his ball control; his speed gets in the way of that." He continues, "Which is why him being teamed up with Riku is a bit dangerous."

"Let me guess, less speed but better control." Roxas says and was answered with a nod.

"Riku isn't slow per say; but with Tidus' speed and Riku's control they are pretty good together." He nods his head towards their goalie, Pence, "their goalie is pretty good at guarding, his only real weakness is he isn't fast enough to guard against multiple attacks at the goal." Roxas was taking in all the information feeling his confidence weaver a little more. This was his first time playing soccer and after hearing all the skills his opponents possessed it was hard to remain so confident.

"But don't worry, you got me Ya?" Wakka says pointing at his chest with his thumb and held a confident smile.

"He is right." Hayner says, "Just follow Wakka and keep up with his plays and you should be fine."

"You guys ready?" Riku suddenly called out to them.

"Yeah, we're ready" Hayner answered but before he took his position at the goal post he held out his fist towards Wakka and Roxas they both pound their fist against his and Hayner took his position. Roxas readied himself waiting for Riku to start the game. Riku was looking at his watch for what seemed like hours until finally he raised his arm in the air and yells.

"Start!"

Riku gave the ball a light kick to Tidus. Roxas expected to see Tidus' use his speed like Hayner said he would but instead Tidus walked towards them. Roxas didn't know much about Soccer but even he could tell Tidus and Riku were taking their time to plan their attack.

Suddenly Tidus began jogging towards them and soon after began sprinting. Hayner was right, Tidus was very fast. His speed caught Roxas' attention and he was going to make a move towards him but Wakka held his hand out, "I got him, you cover Riku Ya?" and Wakka made his move to cut him off. Wakka caught up with Tidus but was half a step or less behind him. Tidus slowed his pace just slightly to try and maneuver around Wakka. Roxas thought Wakka had him considering what Hayner said about Tidus' ball control until he saw something he has never seen on the few soccer games he watched on TV. Tidus kicked the ball slightly causing Wakka to take a misstep giving Tidus enough room between his legs to kick the ball through. Wakka spun around quickly to recover the ball but Tidus was a step ahead and rolled the ball back causing Wakka to take another misstep and giving Tidus enough room to pass the ball to Riku.

Riku caught the ball with his chest and expertly controlled the ball as it landed on the ground near his feet. Roxas took his position in front of Riku readying himself for whatever Riku would throw at him. Riku took a couple of steps towards him and then broke into a sprint and Roxas stayed on him. Hayner was right about Riku not being as fast as Tidus but his ball control was good. Roxas struggled staying on his feet since every move Riku made was very elusive. One minute Roxas is following the ball the next minute Roxas is on the ground dizzy. Riku seemed to be toying with Roxas until finally he passed the ball back to Tidus.

He expertly caught the ball and advanced towards the goal with Wakka on his heels. A few jukes and tricks later he attempts to score. Hayner stood ready watching every move Tidus made until finally he kicked it. Hayner dove reaching out and catching the ball before it got anywhere near the back of the net.

Hayner got to his feet and smirked at Tidus, "come on Tidus, you wouldn't make it past my grandma with a kick like that." He teased.

"just making sure you are were paying attention." Tidus response back, "I'll get you next time." He two boys exchange laughter while Roxas stood by trying to catch his breath when he felt someone pat his back.

"You ok?" Riku asked and he nods his head.

"Yeah just fine." Roxas managed to say in between breaths.

"better hurry up with that." Riku says as he backs up ad gets ready, "we still have a lot of game left."

The game continued. It was amazing to see Wakka and Tidus battle for the ball. Wakka was extremely skilled, as was Tidus. Which was no surprise that Wakka ended up scoring the first point for his team but when it came to Roxas vs Riku it was one sided. He couldn't keep up with Riku's jukes and tricks. When he thought he finally figured something out to stop him Riku would pull out another trick and Roxas would be introduced to the ground once again. It was frustrating not to mention it was getting harder to catch his breath.

The score was 1-2 with Roxas being on the losing side. Wakka and the others didn't seem winded or tired at all. Wakka and Tidus still battled like it was the start of the game; the only sign of fatigue was their rapid breathing. Riku had the ball and made short work of Roxas using his ball control. He passed it to Tidus. It bounced off his chest and Tidus recovered it before Wakka could make a move for it and sprinted towards the goal with Wakka hot on his heels. Roxas pushed himself to keep up with the action and tried to steal the ball when Tidus passed the ball back to Riku but Riku skillfully popped the ball in the air causing Roxas to slide past him giving Riku the opening he wanted and kicked the ball towards the goal. Hayner dove and blocked the ball but was not able to keep his grip on the ball. The ball bounced back and Tidus capitalized on it by kicking it just seconds before Wakka could stop him scoring before Hayner could get off the ground.

"Game!" Riku called when his watched beeped signaling the end of the game. Tidus helped Hayner up and they congratulated each other while Roxas allowed himself to fall to the ground to regain his breath. The group surrounded Roxas, who lay on the grass breathing heavily.

"is he ok?" Tidus asked.

"I thought you were in shape Roxas?" Hayner joked. Roxas looked at Hayner and wanted to tell him to back off, but was too tired to even say a word. He waited until he was somewhat in control of his breathing before he spoke.

"I don't recall Soccer being like that." He said which made everyone laugh.

"Told you, didn't I?" Hayner said with a choir of laughter following his sentence. Roxas closed his eyes and joined in before he opened his eyes and saw a hand extended towards him.

"At least you didn't quit." Riku said sounding impressed. Roxas chuckled and took his hand and stood up with his help. He dusted himself off and looked at the group who laughed.

"Damn Roxas, you look like hell." Tidus said before he added, "you might want to rest for a day or two." He joked. Roxas joined in the laughter.

"I'll be fine, just give me a couple days and I'll be on the same level as you guys." Roxas said putting his hands in his pockets and trying to sound confident despite how tired he was. Tidus just smiled and lightly punched Roxas' arm.

"Can't wait to see that." Tidus said with a chuckle, "beating on newbies isn't as fun."

The group spent the rest of the day sitting around and relaxing on a picnic table. Roxas sat down on top of the table facing the beach while Hayner and Pence sat on both sides of him facing the same direction while Tidus and Wakka sat on the other side of the table. Riku was the only one, standing beside Pence. Roxas noticed he was being quiet and when he looked at him he noticed he was texting, "who are you texting Riku?" he asked though knowing it wasn't none of his business.

"My girlfriend." Riku said not looking away from his phone.

"The same girlfriend from fifth grade?" Hayner asked, even though he already knew the answer. Riku gave him Hayner a look before he looked back at his phone and Hayner only chuckled.

"What is she saying Riku?" Tidus asked from his seat and smirked, "is she reminding you about your curfew?" Tidus then looked at his watched and faked a gasp, "oh no Riku, it's almost seven o'clock." The group laughed, even Riku laughed after his attempt to look mad failed.

"Don't listen to him Riku." Hayner says, "He envies you because he can't seem to get a girlfriend."

"But didn't he date that one girl?" Pence asked, the smirk on his face showing he already knew the answer, "what was her name again Tidus?" Pence asked looking at him, snapping his fingers as if that was going to help him remember, even though he knew the name, "oh yeah! It was…"

"Nope! Stop right there pence." Tidus said raising his voice a little, "we made a pact to never talk about that." Tidus said with a serious face, changing into a smile afterwards.

"It all seemed like fair game to me." Roxas said deciding to join in the teasing. Hayner and pence chuckle but Tidus sighed.

"Man, and here I thought you would be my support." Tidus said pretending to be disappointed.

The day continued just like that, a few teasing about things in the past, even Roxas wasn't safe from the free for all. Even though he didn't know them as long as they knew each other he felt like he fit in just fine. Their sense of humor matched his and made it that much easier to get along. When they decided it was time to go home, they invited him to another game of soccer, which he accepted without hesitation. He walked with the others until they split up leaving only Roxas, Hayner, and Pence to continue talking. The three of them continued to talk before Pence and Hayner took another road to their homes leaving Roxas alone with his thoughts.

Today was a good day; he made friends, found a new hobby, and now knows where the park is to join future games. He walked up the hill and saw his house sitting on top of a small hill. He stared at the house for a moment before he turned around and faced the neighborhood at the bottom of the hill. The sun was setting hitting the ocean with its rays turning the water into a blend of orange and red. He found himself liking the island a little more and he had to admit…

…It Was a nice change of Scenery…


End file.
